Natural
by jeffrey.stump
Summary: Laura and her brother, Dirk, are the first natural-born pretties in years. However, paradise doesn't seem so sunny when they begin to listen to Squint and her friends and begin to dig deep into what it means to be pretty.
1. Chapter 1

**Natural**

By JeffreyStump Disclaimer: I do not own the Uglies series, world, characters, plotline, or any associations. I do not own Mr. Scott Westerfeld, either (unless you count in my dreams…) Author's Note: Wow, I haven't written FanFiction in years. It is good to be back. I'm actually also working on a Zelda _novel_. Yes, novel. Once it is finished, I would like to get permission from Nintendo to publish it. Fat chance. When that fails, I shall post it here. Onwards!

**Chapter One**

"She's beautiful," the doctor said, staring at the little baby girl. "She's just as gorgeous as her brother," he added, looking over at her twin brother. In a normal situation, the prettier child would most definitely be terminated, but this was definitely a Special Circumstance. They needed a miracle in order to keep the Uglies under control.

---

Laura woke up and checked her mirror. She combed through perfectly shaded, blonde hair. She bared her white teeth. She touched her flawless skin. She smiled.  
_Still pretty_, she thought to herself.  
She heard a soft knock on her door, followed by an opening.  
"Ready to greet the commoners, sis?" her brother, Dirk, asked with a chuckle.  
It was an on-going joke between the two. Considering their dashing good looks, they were both treated like the royalty they heard in school as littlies. Everyone was waiting on their hand and foot. They felt as if everyone wanted to just touch them—as if they ugly slugs could grasp just a pinch of early prettiness from them.  
"I was born ready," she replied, getting up to go to the wall.  
She didn't even bother asking the wall for something specific; she would look drop-dead gorgeous with anything.  
She took out the design of a seventeen year old Pretty who sent her a ping almost every day.  
_Maybe_, she thought, _wearing her design will get her off my back for a while._  
Laura got dressed and followed her brother down the hallway to the dining area. It was wonderful to have a dorm all to themselves. It seemed like just yesterday when the Middle Pretty—Laura couldn't recall his name—announced them as the first natural-born Pretties in hundreds of years.  
_As if everyone couldn't already tell, _she remembered thinking at the time.  
It was obvious that they were pretty.

---

As they left the dorm, they were flooded by the normal little Uglies. They plastered on their fake smiles, and Laura remembered a couple names. She had to keep an affectionate image.  
"Pore, hey," she remarked to the boy to her left side.  
"Piggy!" her brother said, flashing a familiar "we're cool" signal.  
And it went on the entire walk to school. It was two blocks, but it could never be enough for Laura. It was impossible for these people to pay their respects with pesky school getting in the way.  
"Ugh," she murmured to her brother, "this school-business is really getting anger-making, don't you think?"  
"Agreed," he replied. "Totally bogus, sis."  
While they were still flooded in the hallway, the stupid teachers continued to get in the way—shooing them off to classes. Of course, they still had to get their conversation in.  
"Hey, Dirk," the writing teacher said, flipping her hair. Laura rolled her eyes. "That paper, you know, from last week, will it be ready soon?"  
Dirk paused for a moment. "Probably not," he stated, flashing Laura a little wink.  
The teacher forced a laugh. Laura and Dirk joined in.  
"You know, don't worry about it," she said and patted him on the shoulder.  
She walked off, and Laura turned to her brother.  
"See?" she said. "They're always having us do things! We need to be at home, planning our life as pretties!"  
He looked at her with an understanding. "Yeah," he responded, "it's like they don't know our birthday is only four months away!"  
"I know!"  
_Some people are so fluster-making,_ Laura thought.

---

Classes continued the same as normal.  
"Laura, do you know the answer to number four?" the math teacher asked.  
Without even looking up, she said, "Four."  
The teacher, definitely trying to cover herself, stated, "Correct, using advanced calculytical…"  
And that's about where she re-stopped paying attention.  
A third piece of paper was passed to her desk.

"Hey, Laura, it's Rhino. I was wondering, a couple friends and I are going to that bubble-making pond tonight. You want to come? You don't have to reply, just be there. "

Laura snorted at the misuse of Pretty slang. _They try so hard,_ she mentally remarked. She was about to throw it away, but then she got to thinking. _Well, I do need another public appearance. Just a couple people, and a reflective pond. Why not?_  
It was perfect. She had to keep them thinking like they actually had a chance.

Author's Ending Note: Whew. I know I'm a little rusty, and it's a little short, but it will get better, I promise. It is 2:30am, so give me a break. I'm thinking we'll see an appearance from Squint. You all should know who that is. She's one of my favorite characters.  Review. Please? It will continue if I get some reviews. Well, it's only 2 pages, so let's hope so. 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's beginning note: I'm very sorry, faithful readers! I didn't notice that I got reviews. Well, those positive reviews make me very happy.

Onwards!

**Chapter Two**

"Okay," Laura pinged her Dirk, "so, this girl, Rhino, invited me to the 'bubble-making' (real quote, no joke!) pond today. I'm going to go. You tagging tonight?"

Within seconds, she heard the little _ping_ and checked without bothering to cover the noise or acknowledge the hopeful faces of her peers.

"You're always such a giver, sis," Dirk replied. "But I'm tired of the commoners. I'm going gate-crashing tonight. Totally 'bubble-making'."

Laura laughed. "Whatever, bro. See you at home!"

She leaned back in her chair and put on some sunglasses for a little nap. Her dreams were the same as always. She was surrounded by dozens of adoring fans, all grinning, laughing, trying to get her attention—

Suddenly, the school bell woke her up. She sat up and smiled at her dream—her everyday reality. She pulled off her sunglasses to see, unsurprisingly, a cluster of students standing at her desk.

"Come on, kiddies," Laura announced, "I have to go to History."

They all were talking to her at once. She was pretty sure she heard that girl, Rhino, asking for her reply, but Laura never really paid attention to what anyone said. _Just smile and walk,_ she reminded herself. She never had to say anything; her presence was enough to appease them.

--

The end of the school day couldn't have come sooner. Being Pretty was exhausting. All of this attention was nerve-making. However, it was all deserved. Being Pretty was a wonderful gift to be embraced, adored, and envied.

She entered the housing building to see Dirk sitting at the table.

"Skipping class again, bro?" she asked the boy.

"I've just been getting so tired of these Uglies lately," he responded. He got up and grabbed the same coat he always wore. "Alright, I'm leaving. Don't do anything to… 'bubble-making.'" He snickered and left.

_Ah,_ Laura thought, _stupid, little Rhino_.

She sat at the table and told her ring, "Snack."

A chocolate bar instantly appeared in front of her when she blinked. She took a bite of the sugary goodness. It was blissful-making.

--

She left her unit thirty minutes after the Established Meeting Times. If they wanted to party with her, they'd have to make sure they knew patience. Her time is precious, and was not to be wasted.

She slowly strolled the long path to the pond. After a while, she could a few girls and guys giggling and talking excitedly. She continued to amble over to the spot when one of them noticed her and notified the others. They turned to her instantly.

_Well, not as quick as I expected, _Laura reflected, _but you can't expect much from _them.

"Hey," she said and nodded in their general direction.

A larger girl with dark hair ran up, "Ohmigod! I can't believe you came. I know you didn't have to and…" Rhino sounded like she didn't take a breath. She just closed the gap and hugged her.

Rhino quickly pulled off and blushed. "That wasn't out-of-line, was it?"

Laura just smiled and waved it off.

She listened to them obsess over her for a couple minutes. Then, they slowly transitioned their conversation to more menial topics. They kept asking her opinion, but she didn't really answer except nodding or shaking her head.

Her attention, however, was soon onto the pond. It was crystal-clear—perfect for gazing.

"Like the view, huh?" someone said from outside the group. "Well, that makes one of us."

"Excuse me?" Rhino began to defend. "Oh, it's you, Squint. Ugh, get out of here."

"Whatever, that eyesore was ruining a good time, anyway."

It took Laura a moment to realize that this Squint girl was talking about her. She got up to defend her own honor, but Rhino turned to her before Laura could catch Squint leaving.

"Don't worry about Squint, Laura," Rhino tried to cover.

"Yeah, she's just a freak who thinks she's cool," another boy added.

--

Author's ending note: Good place to end, right? Don't worry. I'll explain why Squint is outside of her town. I should not write after midnight. It makes my chapters short. Oh, well. Review, please!


End file.
